Thinking about adding number two..

Hello everyone! My little man Crixus will be ten months a few short days. He was neutered back in March and healthy and happy as ever. Crixus and I are the best of friends. We spend hours on end with each other on a day to day basis. I have a total soft spot for buns (which you guys can relate to) and for several months I have been thinking about adopting another bunny through some local shelters. (I thought this would be the smartest option so I could see how the rabbit gets along with mine).

After many many months I have had no luck, either the buns are located too far away and the ones close by are males and I have read bonding two males can be difficult. I finally came across a little lop girl named Snickers who is only an hour away from me and four years old. Crixus and Snickers are meeting this Saturday and I'm super excited to see if they get along.

If all goes well and I see that they have potential to be bonded together eventually, I would love to adopt her. The thing is Crixus and I have a VERY strong bond and I don't want her to feel left out. Her owner owned her for many years and lost interest of her as she became a teenager, so this little girl deserves the very best. I mean, I could be completely wrong maybe I will be the one left out once they become bonded

So here's my questions! For everyone who has two bunnies, do you have a stronger relationship with a particular bun? How did getting another rabbit impact your relationship with your own? And also, Snickers is considerably older than Crixus, is it mean of me to bond him to someone who will obviously not be around as long as him? I know buns can get very upset when their mates pass. I don't know, just any advice on how to distribute the love fairly between my little bundles of love would be great. Thank you all!

I'm not sure how my experience will be of any help to you but I'll share anyway. I had my buck Conan first and I can't say we're particularly close. Oh I love the lil guy and I think he likes me well enough but we're not all snugly and close. I got Xena about 6 months later and she's far more affectionate and out going. I love her, but no more then I love my Conan and my relationship with Xena has not at all affected Conan. I think he couldn't care less as long as he gets his pets and food. I'm sure you'll have a different experience from mine.

As for the age difference, I know any age rabbits can be bonded together, but I'd feel uncomfortable with gaps in age. Conan and Xena are 4-5 months apart and I dread that, but I'm wired to worry. 3 years isn't terrible but for me I'd prefer a long life together. Sure rabbits can rebond to another after a death of their mate, but some have been known to pass away shortly after as well. Good luck.

Thank you! The age difference does make me nervous. I feel guilty pairing him with a rabbit that won't be around as long he will be. I will see how they get along together and have to think about it I guess. Maybe I will just let them live separate lives!

I was in the same position a few months ago. I developed a strong bond with my rabbit but I felt that he would be happier with another companion especially when I am at work or school. It took alot of debating but I finally adopted a female for my male. It took a little bit before they were fully bonded but now they are inseparable. Although Remix was happier before, he is way more happy with another rabbit in his life. There are some instances where Gizmo (my female) can comfort him in no way I can. I was worried that I would lose my bond with Remix but that was not the case, I just became close with both rabbits. I don't prefer one over the other. They enjoy my company, but they are also happy when they're alone together. Noone is left out! So if you really like her and even if they don't hit it off at first, there is still a chance they will bond. It took 3 weeks for my rabbits to become comfortable with each other.

And as for the age difference, that is a hard one. But my way of thinking is that its better to have another rabbit in his life than no rabbit at all!

Crixus looks like such a handsome boy! Excited that he will be getting a friend soon.

Right now I am in the process of bonding my two, Doc and Rory. Since they are not bonded yet, they get separate play time supervised by me. So, Rory sees me when I am out with Doc and vice versa. I make sure to give them veggies at the same time, and whenever it is play time for one and they go visit the other in the cage, I make sure to pet and talk to them both. I mean, I'm sure they can't tell exactly when I am addressing them personally, but I like to think there is some change in the dynamic/energy when I talk to a specific bun.

I've had Doc for about two and a half years and just got Rory a few months ago, so of course Doc and I had the stronger relationship when Rory first got home. I just made sure to let her get to know me first and make all the first moves towards me when she'd be out during play time. She has definitely started coming out of her shell a bit over the past month or so, so our relationship is growing. Every bun is different, so I always find there's different things to love in each one!

I don't know how I would feel about that age difference. Four years isn't terribly old as buns can live up to 10-12 years, and honestly, you never know what can happen regardless of age. My Dora, Doc's first girl, passed when she was barely two and a half. I was very worried Doc would be upset over it, but he handled it way better than I did, that's for sure! My vet thought it was because Dora was sick for awhile and Doc was with her the entire time and probably understood what was happening. So every situation is different, and you can't plan for every "if." I think if it looks like a good fit, you should go for it!

Remixmom that makes me feel a lot better. That's the kind of relationship I am hoping for and thank you Lyndym! I am excited for him too:]

So Crixus met Snickers today it did not go well. Crixus has met other buns and tends to be indifferent to them or sniffs them. Snickers was very high energy and continuously attacked him. I know first time encounters aren't always perfect but she was being very aggressive towards him. The shame is she is great on her own, spunky, playful, cuddly, and adorable.

Oh no I am sorry to hear that. Its not that they won't be able to bond, its just that it will take longer. I had the same issue when Remix met Gizmo. Remix is very shy and docile, and Gizmo is very confident and playful. She did the same thing, she kept attacking Remix when they first met. I even called the Humane Society where I had adopted her and asked if I should exchange her for another rabbit because it was hard to see both of them distressed. But they told me to give it some time, and I'm glad I did because it really did just take time before they fell in love. But I can't say that will work for every rabbit, just letting you know I had the same experience and it eventually turned out well.

When I get my second rabbit, Penny, she did wonders for my first rabbit, Abe. He really came out of his shell when we got her - even his pasteurella symptoms subsided (he used to have almost daily sneezing attacks). Penny doesn't really trust people and will not usually let us pet her unless she's right beside Abe (she was not mistreated, but was not give much human interaction where she was before). She will come near us, hop around our feet, eat from our hands, etc. Abe still comes over to see me all the time, he will share his time between Penny and us. The other day I saw him and exclaimed "what a handsome rabbit!" to my husband. Abe looked up and hopped over for snuggles. SO CUTE.

It was practically love and first sight when he first met Penny, and they were bonded pretty much right away (about 4-5 hours of periodic humping was it) but I was expecting to go through what you experienced. It's not bad as long as you're prepared for the time commitment of bonding them.

Hopefully Crixus will find partners like your buns did in the near future:] my goal is to make it as less stressful as I possibly can for both rabbits which has not been easy so far.